Memo to NFL coaches...

Please, for the love of God, quit putting your charts over your mouth when you call a play...
NO ONE IS READING YOUR GODDAM LIPS!!!!! And if they were, would they be able to get the word to the defensive coordinator, to get the word to the sideline, to get the word to the defense on the field, before the snap?

This may just be a picky thing, but to me, this is a perfect symbol of just how paranoid NFL coaches are. And have you noticed it's almost always a Parcells disciple doing it: Sean Payton, Belichek, etc.

I particularly liked the shot tonight where you could see Sean Payton holding the card up to his lips as he talked, except the camera was coming in from an angle, so any lip reader watching the live feed would be set.

Maybe they could learn to speak Japanese and they'd be safe. There are no Japanese players in the NFL, are there? I thought Holmgren looked ridiculous when he did it in the season opener against Detroit. A coach could tell the Lions what play he was going to run and they'd probably still screw up trying to stop it.

Please, for the love of God, quit putting your charts over your mouth when you call a play...

NO ONE IS READING YOUR GODDAM LIPS!!!!! And if they were, would they be able to get the word to the defensive coordinator, to get the word to the sideline, to get the word to the defense on the field, before the snap?

This may just be a picky thing, but to me, this is a perfect symbol of just how paranoid NFL coaches are. And have you noticed it's almost always a Parcells disciple doing it: Sean Payton, Belichek, etc.

But consider this: If all NFL coaches are doing it, then all NFL coaches think it is a necessary precaution, which leads me to believe that all NFL coaches at one point or another have been able to read another coach's lips on television and figure out what play is being run.

I think it's one of those viscious cycles coaches talk themselves into. One of them -- Reid, Holmgren, Belichik -- probably thought one of the other paranoid bastards would hire a lip-reader. I think if it had happened, someone would have found out and reported it by now.